All elementary students take art, taught by an art specialist, at least once a week. At the upper elementary and middle school levels, students may choose art as a full-year course. At the high school, there are numerous levels and options offered each semester, including Fundamentals of Art, Studio Art, Photography, and AP Portfolio Art classes. Field trips to museums and galleries, along with frequent artists-in-residence, supplement the schools’ visual arts programs by giving students the opportunity to observe, work with, and learn from professional artists.

Our students’ excellence in the arts is shown in their regional and national recognition. In 2015, students at Burnley-Moran Elementary claimed three of the top six spots in an art competition sponsored by Shenandoah National Park. In recent years at Buford Middle School and Charlottesville High School, students have won Gold Key awards through the Scholastic Art Awards, with their work exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Reflections

Reflections is a Summer Regional Governor’s School Program, funded in part by the Virginia Department of Education with local financial and in-kind support. The Reflections Program is a 10-day summer program for middle school students gifted in the visual arts, competitively selected from Charlottesville City, Albemarle, Greene, and Nelson Counties, and the private and home-schooled students in the region.

High school students talented in the visual (or performing arts) can apply to the state Governor’s School summer program.

Websites:

• Online Art Gallery and Unfinished Jigsaw Anthology

For More Information:
Aaron Eichorst, Fine Arts Coordinator
245-2671
EichorA1@charlottesvilleschools.org